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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24838645">Tapping Out</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/oonaseckar/pseuds/oonaseckar'>oonaseckar</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avengers (Comics), Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), Marvel Adventures: Avengers, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Corporal Punishment, Gen, Losing, M/M, Punishment, Wrestling, failure - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:21:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>245</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24838645</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/oonaseckar/pseuds/oonaseckar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve tries to teach Bucky - the Soldier - that he can fail, and it's okay. It's a hard lesson to learn.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James "Bucky" Barnes &amp; Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steve and Bucky used to wrestle back in the day, when Steve was tiny. Bucky would always theoretically win, but Steve would never tap out, would struggle on gamely.  Well, that's Steve's nature, and he knows himself by now.  Often Bucky would throw the game, let him 'win'.  </p><p>Now The Winter Soldier is back, and they're living at Avengers Towers.  And sometimes <em>Bucky</em> is back -- sometimes -- and they wrestle again. But The Soldier <em>won't</em> tap out.</p><p>Because the consequences of mission failure are spectacular, and awful.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He taps, <em>t-t-tap, t-t-, t-t—tap.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. everybody knows the fight was fixed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter title is Leonard Cohen, 'Everybody Knows'.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>But anyhow, before they get to that point.</p><p>Oh, the Soldier cheats.  It's shameless, the lengths he'll stoop to: there's not an illegal hold he can't fancy, no outright sabotage he won't stomach.  </p><p>It's nothing like Bucky.  Who would tease Steve, hold him down -- making Steve's heart race like a fool, in days gone by.  But who never <em>cheated</em> - what need did he have?  Not when Steve would have given him the moon on a string, if asked, could have withheld him nothing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. brood of vipers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter title is Matthew 12:34.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>And at first Steve doesn't understand it -- doesn't have the tools to understand it, because he's not looking at it from the Soldier's angle.  They're safe, now, right?  They're in a brand spanking new future, everything shiny and miraculous, a technological gizmo to take care of anything your little heart might desire.</p><p>HYDRA's old news.  Bucky's got free, and they're David and Jonathan again, just like the old days.</p><p>Right.</p>
  </div></div>
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